Page 30 of Texas Tycoon's Christmas Fiancée
“We have stockings.”
“Of course we do,” Eli said, chuckling. “It’s Christmas. They are hung for Santa. Now, let me hold my precious grandchild,” he added. “Come sit near us, Grace, and tell me more about Michael.”
After placing Michael in Eli’s arms, she sat close in a wing chair. As frail as Eli appeared when he was standing, his arms looked strong and his hands large, and he seemed to have a firm grip on Michael, who was happily playing with a teething ring.
Nick returned to sit near them, facing her. As she talked, she was aware of Nick listening, watching her with a faint smile on his face. Once she caught him studying her legs and when he glanced up and their eyes met, his were hot, filled with so much desire that her heart skipped.
“The photographer should be here right away. Thank you for consenting to pictures.”
“It’ll be great to have Christmas pictures of Michael,” she responded.
It was only minutes later the photographer was announced and for the next hour, pictures were taken and then the photographer packed his equipment and was gone.
“Michael is a happy baby,” Eli observed. “What a marvel he is. A special baby. Your sharing him with us this Christmas is the greatest possible Christmas gift.”
“It’s good for the two of you to know each other,” she said. Under different circumstances, she would have been delighted to find the grandfather and uncle in Michael’s life. As it was, her fear of Eli had been pushed aside slightly for this evening.
When Michael became wiggly, she spread a small blanket on the floor and put some of his toys on it, setting him down. He sat happily playing before beginning to crawl around. She scooped him up. “He’s getting around better every day. He likes to explore.”
“Let’s go meet the nanny and I’ll show you Dad’s new nursery. Excuse us, Dad. We’ll be back shortly.”
As they entered the hall, Nick reached out to take Michael from her. “I’ll carry him. You’ve probably carried him for hours.”
“Actually, yes I have. I don’t mind yet because he’s not too heavy.”
“Sometime I’ll give you the grand tour of this house.”
She laughed. “I hope I don’t get lost tonight. And Michael will be staying in my room, right?”
“Unless you want a different arrangement. If you don’t want him in the same room, he can stay in the nursery with Vanessa, because she’s staying the night.”
“I’d rather have him with me when I go to bed. He sleeps through the night, but I wouldn’t want him to wake in a strange place with someone he barely knows.”
“I figured that. Vanessa will put him to bed in the room where you’ll sleep and she’ll sit in there with him until you turn in. Then she’ll stay in her own room. We have a third floor filled with staff who live here. As you could see driving up, there’s as much room as a hotel.”
“A very large hotel,” she said. “Michael may not be happy going home with me someday when he grows accustomed to what he has here.”
Nick gave her an inscrutable look and she wondered what was on his mind. “Why the look?” she asked.
“Just thinking about what you said. You’re his mother and you love him. He’ll always be happy going with you. Here we are,” Nick said, taking her arm while he carried Michael with his other arm. They entered a large, enchanting nursery that reminded her again of the Raffords’ wealth. The room held a double bed, a baby crib, dressers, tables, a rocking chair, two other chairs, and was decorated with nursery rhyme decor. A bin contained toys. A tall blond woman stood when they entered.
“Grace, this is Vanessa Otis. Vanessa, meet Grace Wayland, and this is Michael.”
“He’s adorable,” Vanessa said, taking the baby from Nick. “Hi, Michael,” she said to him before smiling at Grace. “When did he last eat?”
“He’ll probably be hungry soon because it’s been long enough since the last bottle. I brought formula, bottles, baby food, and he takes some finger food. Everything is in his bag.”
“I have Michael’s bag with his things and I can fix the bottles. I have six younger siblings, so I’m accustomed to babies,” she said, smiling at Grace, and Nick waited while Grace gave instructions about Michael’s bottle.
When they left, Nick walked beside her. “Are you going to worry about him?”
“No. Vanessa seemed competent, and I imagine she has plenty of credentials, in addition to her own siblings, and has been thoroughly checked out.”
“You’re right. She has some great recommendations, but I wanted to be sure you were comfortable.”
“Actually, I imagine I’ll enjoy dinner more. When I’m home, I never sit through a meal without interruptions.”
He smiled. “Yet you love taking care of him.”
